Freiherr von Wernicke
Background Information Freiherr is a sixteen year old growing up in the Black Forest of Germany. He is the son of Wilhem and Irma von Wernicke- two wealthy nobles of pure German heritage. All his life, Freiherr had been expected high of, to one day become successful like his father. He was brought up in the Wernicke estate- a mansion hidden within the Black Forest. Freiherr carried the traits of his ritzy family, learning respectable manners from a young age, various languages, how to read, and the ability to play the piano. Other than that, Freiherr lived a normal life... or so he thought. After the construction of the Berlin Wall after World War II, Germany had been split into two halves- Eastern Germany and Western Germany. Freiherr's family had been residents of the westerners during that time. Even though the wall has since been destroyed, certain groups in the east and west still contain the hatred that they had for each other- the penalties of passing from one side of where the wall once stood to the other being violent and often deadly. Ever since he was a young boy, Freiherr was taught of the easterners and their ways, and has developed a hatred towards them- especially towards an old childhood enemy- Bowen. Freiherr will do all he can to avoid the easterners, for he finds himself content being secluded on the western side within the Black Forest with his family. It was when he finally turned sixteen that Freiherr began to experience changes in his attitude, however, especially around the nights of the harvest moon. After an incident resulting in a murder in one of the small German towns within the Black forest, Freiherr panic s and gathers a few of his belongings, and flees to France where he can get aboard a ship to take him far from his home. He believed that in some way, he had been related to the murder. Once he had boarded the ship setting sail to the Americas, Freiherr soon becomes overcome by guilt. Deciding to retreat to his cabin for the night, Freiherr ends up being the sole survivor on the ship after an attack by an unknown creature. Not knowing what to do, Freiherr allows the ship to sail to where ever it is destined- winding up on a deserted island. While on the island, Freiherr runs into another castaway by the name of Sitara. Sitara claims to have been being hunted by a monster within the forest, thus causing Freiherr to take her back to the vessel he arrived on to attempt to protect her from what had been lurking within the woodland. It is Sitara that gives him the nickname, "Flint", which he goes by ever since. Soon after that he discovers that she was seeking her amulet, stolen by two mischievous ferrets, which was her reasoning for venturing into the forest alone. Agreeing to help her, Freiherr soon meets two other castaways- cousins- Yukon and Hana-Lynn. Although the others are eager to leave the island, Freiherr fears returning to the mainland, for reasons of what had previously happened on the night of the murder. However, Freiherr continues to vanish on the nights of the harvest moon while on the island, many times disappearing for a few days, sometimes a week, at a time. Freiherr is also on prescription medication for his mood swings, or so he will tell the others. He carries his pill bottle with him in his backpack wherever he goes- and everyone knows well enough not to touch it. The medication's main ingredient is Monkshood, a legendary flower said to ward off or even kill lycanthropes. Freiherr has two brothers- an older and a younger- Günter and Fenrir. Günter is twenty five years old, and Fenrir is four. Freiherr has the closest connection to Fenrir, since he serves as a third father to the youngest Wernicke brother. Freiherr and Günter also have a close bond, but there are things that set them apart from each other that often get in the way of their brotherhood- especially since Günter is the most favored brother- and Freiherr (although he claims to not) carries jealousy. Personality Freiherr is usually well mannered and cheerful, however there are times that he shows rage and irritation in his attitude. He has a split personality- mostly triggered by the rise and fall of the harvest moon. Freiherr can be described as "spaztic", although he shows a decent amount of intelligence at the same time. He has a heart of gold towards those he cares about, and more than not is fearful of his blind rage that sometimes emits from him. At times, he tends to be hot headed, but he still shows compassion to those that he loves. He also is courageous and strong-willed; and will never give in to a fight- especially if it comes to means of protecting the ones he loves. Relationships Currently, Freiherr is only involved in friendship relationships- nothing romantic. However, he longs to find someone that will be suitable for him: stubborn, spunky, strong-willed, misunderstood as he is, and of course- the exact opposite of himself. Although he has yet to truly find someone to witness a romantic situation with, Freiherr shares a strong bond with Sitara. To him, she is the best friend that he has ever had. He protects her and keeps her faith through any situation- almost acting like her brother. However, Freiherr has no intention of moving this friendship with Sitara into a romantic one. He prefers looking out for her as a friend rather than a lover; for he feels that their relationship is strong as it is, and shouldn't be tweaked to the point where it could be broken. Freiherr also shares a relationship with Yukon- whether or not either of them choose to agree. Freiherr and Yukon both care about their pride, which often causes them to argue with one another- even over the pettiest things. However, no matter how much they argue, Sitara knows that both Freiherr and Yukon share a deep friendship, and will always be there for each other if it is ever needed. Their love/hate relationship is probably the strangest out of everyone's... but it's that relationship that keeps them together and their friendship strong. Appearances Freiherr's main appearance is in the Of Sins and Sailors series; books 1-5. However, he does make a brief appearance in the holiday special, Merry Christmas, Kenji and Benji, as well as the collection of shorts, The Tales Untold: Volume 1. Freiherr also makes a guest appearance in the novel, Blood Among the Roses, a story which focuses more on his younger brother, Fenrir. Quotes *"I have done things…Ach… so many horrible things! Things if they found me they would burn me at the stake for, tear out my heart, perform the most atrocious exorcisms on me…" *"I suppose my survival is not the greatest factor at the moment. I need everyone else to be safe…so I must do this..." *"I do not know. Maybe they went out of business?" *“Our destinies are written in the stars as it is. No matter how we try to escape our fate, we must accept how we are driven and which roads we must travel down. When death finally stares us in the eyes, no matter how we try to fight it, no matter how much strength and bravery we show it, it will all end the same. We can try to flee from our demise, but we will never be able to veil ourselves from death’s talons.” *"Ach, no. I do not hurt the weasels, I only shoot them." *“…but… they have the same face." *“I was looking for the… glassless mirrors… Kenji and Benji” *"Ach! Ferret feet!"